Should I buy? 2007 52K miles

[club27]

I had a 2001 for 16 years got 225k miles out of it. I found this 2007 it has 52k miles. The only thing was the air condition needs either replaced or fixed.

they were asking 6000 but said I could get it for 4500.00

I can't really find another car I like, I test drove it and it seemed good.
front bumper is messed up.

Just wanted to get thoughts. Thanks

[pasadenahotrod03Dreamer]

Most PT Cruisers around here are going for 2500 or less unless extraordinary in some way. To pay that price for no air and a "messed up" front bumper doesn't fit me at all unless it is in every other way perfect and well accessorized.
I do love that Inferno Red color though.

[rckstein]

Welcome to the forum

Please go to: Welcome New PT Cruiser Members - PT Cruiser Forum and introduce yourself.

What part of the country is the vehicle located? I used the Kelley Blue Book website to get a quick estimate on the vehicle you're considering. I'm assuming it's a Touring Edition. Private Party in Good condition is $3073, it could be a little more if the a/c worked and no messed up front bumper. Hard to tell what could be wrong with the a/c doesn't seem like it would have enough miles on it for something to be broke, may just be low on charge. Is it at a dealership and they don't want to investigate the a/c issue? If they could fix it cheap enough it could add more to their resale value. What's wrong with the front bumper, can't really tell from the pics other than the gap along the bottom of the grille and the top of the bumper looks much wider than normal. Does it look like they hit something with the front? On the pic of the engine bay, it's missing one of the fasteners that holds on the grille on the passenger side. And it looks like they sprayed the engine with some kind of engine shine product. I hate that because you can't tell what they might be hiding. I prefer a dry but clean engine, so you can see if there are any leaks. And even though it is low mileage, it is a 10 year old vehicle and per the Owner's Manual, the timing belt is recommended to be replaced at 10 years. You can estimate $1000-$1500 to have that work done at a dealership.

For comparison, using KBB to get a value on my PT Private Party in Excellent condition would be $2451. My PT has 143,000 miles but everything works, never been in an accident.

I think they're asking too much, maybe $4500 if it had no issues and the timing belt work had already been done. Per KBB, if it could be graded in Excellent condition and that would be with no issues, Private Party would be $3524.

[ptprice]

If your replacing the front bumper cover that could be a couple of hundred. If they could have fixed the A/C cheap it'd a been fixed already! Figure at least $600 to $1000 for a new air conditioner compressor and other necessary A/C work and fixings. The mileage is OK but it's still ten years old. Next'll be the timing belt. Probably won't be mileage but the ten years! The A/C might be why they're dumping it!

I helped a friend looking for a PT Vert a few weeks ago with similar mileage. The dealership brought it to "good ?" condition. Every thing finally worked. It was loaded! My friend passed up buying it even though the deal ended up being around five "G's" out the door at the dealership! I found hidden body damage repair they'd hoped wouldn't be noticed!

HOW TO CHECK FOR A CLUNKER!To check for Bondo take a simple five dollar telescoping magnet, gently pinch the first extension so the magnet, padded with masking tape, (DON'T SCRATCH THE PAINT!) will still hold on a good metal surface and the pinch allows the telescoping function without the magnet coming loose. It should hold all the way out to full extension! Put one or two business cards between the magnet and the good metal surface and pull the telescoping feature out of the pinched portion once again. The card, representing just a bit of Bondo will space the magnet far enough from the surface so it won't hold efficiently. BONDO! BEWARE! You'll have a $5.00 Bondo tester as good as a high dollar paint thickness tester.

Don't be fooled with those shiny tires. Check to see if they're a set, the proper size, how they're worn (wear pattern) and how much they're worn!

Also check for over spray and bad tape marks indicating a repaint or touch up! Check for pulling, wandering, vibrations, brakes, idle exhaust flutter, oil fill hole flutter test and alignment. Peek at all dip sticks, reservoirs, belts, wires and hoses. Try every light, signal and accessory a few times. Put a volt tester on the battery without the PT running. Hope for at least 12.5 to 13V. Start it up and expect for more! Crawl underneath or better yet get it on a rack. At least look for leaks.That you can do.

Finally, always have an independent garage check it out. $30 bucks or so there can save a lot of head aches! NO surprises! this kind of act can really PO a dealership and even private sellers. Once in a while you'll find an honest one but let the buyer beware! That's you!

I'm sure I've missed lot's you should look out for. You've come to the right place to find it as far as PT's go! I'm just an old and forgetful geezer who enjoys his PT!

I'd suggest using the info you get on the Forum and try for a much better price or move on. rckstein's advise very valid.

Happy Ptin', ptprice

[Chucky]

I bought my 07 last August for 3k with 59k miles. Very clean car. Only thing wrong is air bag light started chiming,and the button for the emergency flasher is missing. There are a few suggestions on what to do with the air bag issues here. The little car now has almost 77k miles now. Runs and drives like a new car. I love these things! Very fun cars🙃